Hey guys, Racket reached out to me recently about Wii horror games. As a result, I've begun researching games that are horror and horror-related (ie., games that use horror trappings or references in some way but are not expressly based around instilling fear in the player). Unfortunately, there are quite a few games that I'm not familiar enough with to judge whether they belong in either category or do not qualify at all, so I thought I'd reach out to the Wii fans here about those games which I have no experience with.

For those of you who know your way around this library, I'd love to get your thoughts.

Attack of the Movies 3DBaroqueCastlevania JudgmentDeadly CreaturesDisaster: Day of CrisisFragile Dreams: Farewell Ruins of the MoonGhosbusters: The Video GameGoosebumps HorrorLandGremlins GizmoThe House of the Dead 2 & 3 ReturnThe House of the Dead: OverkillI Spy Spooky MansionImabikisōJaws: Ultimate PredatorManhunt 2Monster LabOneChanbara: Bikini Zombie SlayersScooby-Doo! and the Spooky SwampScooby-Doo! First Frights

Here's a couple I don't see that could fall into the Horror-Related category:

Princess Isabella: A Witch's Curse - This is a game aimed at kids, so the scary factor is minimal at best. But the story does involve a witch that curses a castle and everyone in it by trapping them into mirrors. To save them the player must traverse the castle, find items and solve puzzles. Like I said, very horror-lite. But it does have an evil witch in it.

A better candidate might be:

Mortimer Beckett and the Secrets of Spooky Manor - This is another point-and-click, seek-and-find adventure, much like Isabella. But this one has the benefit of being set in a much creepier location and involves ghosts trying to impede your progress. It's another one aimed at the younger crowd, so the horror is again minimal, but much higher than Isabella.

While I haven't played the games, if you're at all familiar with the Bleach or Soul Eater IPs from the manga or anime, I'm not sure they'd really qualify as horror. Thematically, sure, basically grim reapers of a sort cleansing souls...but the general result is giving them a constant stream of things to fight and get stronger, as shounen manga tends to.

Yo, I’m a Wii player and a Sega arcade maniac at heart. Let me tell you about playing House of the Dead games on Wii.

House of the Dead 2 & 3 ReturnSome games give you exactly what they promise. This game compilation is a practically perfect port of the classic arcade games on the Wii. Nothing more, and nothing less.

The player uses the Wii Remote instead of a light gun. The benefit of the Wii remote is that the player does not need a CRT television set. You can use one if you want, but the gunplay works just as well on an LCD screen. The Wii remote works perfectly for this role. The aiming is smooth and reliable. The player can also utilize an accessory such as the Wii Zapper, the Nyko Perfect shot, or the Resident Evil Magnum Blaster. These accessories don’t really change the game much; they just change how the player grips their gun.

If you want some old school, zombie-killing, light gun action on your modern flat screen display, then House of the Dead 2 & 3 Return is for you. On the other hand, if you want bonus features, a concept art gallery, and interviews with the production team... then tough luck. The player can unlock an extra hard mode in House of the Dead 3. That’s about it. This package is purely the two games ported with great controls. You gotta be in it for killing zombies, not for bonus features.

House of the Dead OverkillIf there was ever an ultimate “love it or hate it” game, then it’s surely House of the Dead Overkill. This game is a perfect send up of B horror movies. If the earlier House of the Dead games were unintentionally corny, then Overkill leans on the cornball schlock all the way. The “grind house” styling lends an amazing atmosphere to HotD Overkill. The characters feel exactly like stock characters from a drive-in double feature. The game even has bad film grain on some of the more intense moments.

Once again, the player uses the Wii Remote in place of a light gun. Again, no CRT is necessary. The same optional accessories work here. I prefer the Nyko Perfect shot. It doesn’t change how the Wii remote functions; it just feels good in my hand. If you just want to play with the plain Wii controller, then that’s fine too.

House of the Dead Overkill is the best kind of garbage. It’s funny, gross, wildly offensive, and oddly charming. I give this game my highest recommendation. Please send the kids to bed before you start playing this blatantly vulgar masterpiece of low-brow gaming!